As if cursing this bunch of idiots.
It's so stuffy, there must be wind at the mountain top.
Ah Jiu understood and grabbed two peaches, following Wang Shi as they scrambled up the mountain.
"How does your girl have so much stamina? How did you raise her?"
Wu Da Lei's eyes widened as he watched the small retreating figure, finally speaking his mind.
Cai Li Hua said proudly, "I took good care of her with good food and drink along the way, so my precious daughter's physique naturally improves day by day."
The mountain top.
As soon as Ah Jiu climbed up, she felt a mountain breeze that instantly carried away her excess sweat.
Moreover, standing at a high point, one could see the official road in the distance, the mountain paths, and the scattered passersby. Further south was Nan Ming City.
"Ah Jiu sister, is this for me to eat?"
Tuoba Yan felt a long-lost sense of satisfaction as he watched Ah Jiu, who was like a spring breeze.
"Peaches, yes, I brought one for you." Ah Jiu ate one herself and gave the other to Tuoba Yan.
Her gaze was fixed on the distance, their destination after enduring so much hardship.
Tuoba Yan clutched the peach, his brow furrowed, unsure where to start biting.
He glanced at the peach in Ah Jiu's hand, followed her example, and took a bite.
"So sweet."
"Mm." Ah Jiu just grunted, turned around, and shouted towards the mountainside:
"Mother, Father, it's so cool at the top of the mountain."
Tuoba Yan looked at Ah Jiu's dirty side profile and her star-like shining eyes, and sat down with a grin.
Actually, he had almost lost hope waiting in the valley, afraid Ah Jiu wouldn't believe him.
When he saw them descending the mountain, Tuoba Yan's heart felt better.
"Thank you, Ah Jiu sister."
"Ah?" Ah Jiu turned her head to look at the little Yan Yan sitting there.
"Thank you for believing me." Tuoba Yan smiled, and the purity in his eyes seemed to have returned.
Ah Jiu awkwardly pulled at the corner of her mouth, "Actually, this is the first time in my life I've believed a ghost story."
"Ah? Oh, right." Tuoba Yan scratched his head. He didn't know what a ghost was, but there were too many things he didn't understand. If Ah Jiu sister said it was a ghost, then it was a ghost, as long as she was willing to believe him.
Ah Jiu found a flat rock and squatted down, took off the small bamboo basket from her waist and placed it on the stone. She carefully opened the lid:
"Are you hungry? Do you want some peach?"
Inside the small basket, the little black snake was coiled like a ball of dung. It raised its head to look at Ah Jiu.
Suddenly, it sprang up, and Ah Jiu's hand became empty.
With the remaining half of the peach bitten into the bamboo basket by the little black snake, Ah Jiu giggled with delight.
"So it's a vegetarian." Ah Jiu leaned over and looked inside.
"What is it?" Tuoba Yan, with sharp eyes, had seen a black thing flash out and then quickly retract.
"Kid, don't be too curious." Wang Shi, sitting cross-legged not far away, muttered a warning. He was the most typical example.
His butt was hurting terribly from meditating.
"It's a snake," Ah Jiu replied casually.
"What kind? Let me see." Little Yan Yan rubbed his hands and came closer.
Ah Jiu carefully lifted a small gap to show Little Yan Yan, afraid the snake would be shy and bite someone if it suddenly appeared.
"Isn't this a Dilong?" Little Yan Yan blurted out.
"Dilong? What's a Dilong?" Ah Jiu reached in and took out the peach pit the little one had bitten, preserving it.
"A dragon that runs on the ground."
Only then did Ah Jiu notice that Little Yan Yan's name for it was strange. She looked back at him:
"This is a snake, not a dragon. Aren't mythical dragons supposed to fly in the sky?"
"So people where I'm from call this creature a Dilong." Little Yan Yan said seriously, as if he hadn't seen enough, and kept peeking inside.
"Dilong? That's a nice name. Then let's call it Little Dilong. Little Dilong, have some water."
Ah Jiu took out her water pouch and poured some into her palm, dripping it onto the Little Dilong's body from her fingers.
The Dilong felt the moisture and raised its head to catch the falling water droplets.
Unexpectedly, with a swoosh.
Ah Jiu was so startled that she sat down on the ground with a thud.
"Ah Jiu sister..." Tuoba Yan was also startled. This Dilong was so fast.